Core Faculty

Jonathan Argaman

Faculty of Critical Writing, Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing

Sharon Barr

Adjunct Faculty, Department of City and Regional Planning

Ariel Ben-Amos

Ariel Ben-Amos

Adjunct Faculty, Department of City and Regional Planning
Policy and Partnerships Group Supervisor, Philadelphia Water Department

Founder, StreetBoxPHL

Ariel Ben-Amos, is a City Planner, Researcher, and Advocate with over two decades worth of experience in community and program development, as well infrastructure planning and implementation.  A. Ben-Amos’s research focuses on the intersection of people, place, and infrastructure, and the political and organisational factors that mediate multi-modal investments and initiatives.  Ariel’s advocacy focuses on empowering communities to steward public places in the ROW. His courses have explored Green Stormwater Infrastructure investments along legacy infrastructure, sustainability policy implementation processes, and how cities adapt to changing modal needs. Ben-Amos has contributed to numerous Design Manuals (NACTO Urban Street Design Guide, The Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Practice, etc.) and has been published in Transportation Research Record, the State of Transportation Planning 2020, and the Philadelphia Independent.

Richard Berman

Faculty

Pablo Cerdera

Associate Director of Restorative Practices

Michael Clapper

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Sean Closkey

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Donna Cooper

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Dennis Culhane

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Marisa Denker

Marisa Denker

Lecturer, SNF Paideia Program
Founder & CEO, Connect the Dots

Marisa is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania where she originated the practice-based Participatory Cities course on public engagement in 2021, and continues to teach it each fall semester. She holds an MA in Design Practice from Dublin University (via her Fulbright fellowship) and a BA Urban Studies from University of Pennsylvania where she graduated as Phi Beta Kappa. Marisa Denker is the founder and CEO of Connect the Dots, a WBE/DBE firm focused on inclusive public and stakeholder engagement.  Evolving from Marisa’s Fulbright project, Connect the Dots is based in Philadelphia and operates as a WBE/DBE on the east coast, where the firm is known for designing and delivering strategic, innovative and inclusive engagement processes to meet people where they are. Connect the Dots specializes in community-informed decision making in transportation, planning, placemaking economic development projects and more with clients including SEPTA, DVRPC, City of Philadelphia, Jersey City, NJTPA, and many more. Marisa brings deep expertise in inclusive public and stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, stakeholder management, and participatory research. She holds an MA in Design Practice from Dublin University (via her Fulbright fellowship) and a BA Urban Studies from University of Pennsylvania where she graduated as Phi Beta Kappa. Marisa is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania where she has developed and teaches a course on public engagement entitled Participatory Cities. 

Emily Dowdall

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Robert Fairbanks, III

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Sylvia Garcia-Garcia

Sylvia Garcia-Garcia

Lecturer, SNF Paideia Program
Collaborator & Principal, Connect the Dots

Sylvia García-García is an experienced college professor with teaching and professional expertise in Public Participation and Urban Studies. With a Master’s in Strategic Thinking from Tec de Monterrey and additional degrees in Political Sciences and Economics, Sylvia’s academic background is complemented by a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Leadership. A lecturer in the Urban Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania since 2023, her experience includes teaching at Tec de Monterrey’s School of Social Sciences and Government from 2016 to 2022, where she fostered critical thinking and intellectual engagement in DEI and Public Participation. Sylvia has engaged over 800 students through dynamic courses, workshops and seminars, advancing discussions on social and economic justice. Her passion for social inclusion is further evidenced by her role as Principal at Connect the Dots and active board memberships.

Eric Gershberg

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Greg Goldman

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Ira Goldstein

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Ira Harkavy

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Nina Johnson

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Howard Kozloff

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John Kromer

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Alicia Meyer

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Ruth Moyer

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Michael Nairn

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Walter Palmer

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Brian Peterson

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Ed Rendell

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Jacob Rosch

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Casey Ross

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Dina Schlossberg

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Theresa Simmonds

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Elaine Simon

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R. Tyson Smith

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Shawnna Thomas-EL

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Symme Trachtenberg

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Colin Weiding

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